Faber swoops for 'gripping' novel by Doughty

Faber has swooped for an “electrifying” novel from Louise Doughty. 

Louisa Joyner, associate editor, acquired world all-language rights to A Bird in Winter from Antony Harwood at Antony Harwood Ltd. It will be published on 31st August, just ahead of a new ITV adaptation of Doughty’s novel Platform Seven (also Faber) in the autumn.

The synopsis says: “Bird is a woman on the run, leaving her job, her home, her life. It’s a day she thought might come, and one she’s prepared for. As she flees north using multiple disguises, Bird has to work out who exactly is on her trail, and who—if anyone—she can trust. Is her greatest fear that she will be hunted down, or that she will never be found?" 

Joyner said: "This gripping new novel is signature Louise Doughty. Her ability to write women rendered invisible, or reduced to stereotypes in popular culture, with acute psychological depth as well as wit, and more than a little tension, is second to none.” 

Doughty added: “For many years, I’ve wanted to write a novel about a woman who goes on the run. A Bird in Winter is my 10th book and the culmination of themes I have been writing about for a long time. It’s partly a thriller but partly an investigation of what might make any woman head for the hills.  When I introduced it to Louisa at Faber I said, ‘Imagine if John Le Carré and Elena Ferrante had a secret affair, what would their love child look like?’ Faber is brilliant at publishing books that cross boundaries and genres and I’m really excited about this one coming out.”